Tuesday, December 15, 2015

UN hesitates to ban the capital punishment

UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) seems to have abandoned the attempt for the abolition of the capital punishment and the prevention of torture.

An official bid for re-election to the UNHRC is no more presenting about these two issues. Although, strengthening human rights, ending violence against women, promoting freedom of religion and taking action on sustainable development were mentioned, there was no commitment that the government was opposing the capital punishment or torture.

It is simply an amendment of the description in a site of UNHRC, but suggestive. It is possible that the UK government was concerned about the status of Middle Eastern allies such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in which capital punishment is frequently carried out. While the intention of the UNHRC is unclear, I think this hypothesis is worthy to trust.

Capital punishment is still dominantly used in some countries, including China, Japan, and some states in the US. Although the EU has identified it as a cruel act, it has not been a global concept.

Indeed, approximately 90% of Japanese approve the capital punishment. In the UK, I was sometimes asked why Japan still keep this policy from European researchers, with full tone of doubtfulness. I, myself, believe Japan should abolish the capital punishment, but my opinion is in the minority, unfortunately. I guess people in Middle East countries are far less likely to accept the abolition of the capital punishment.

Therefore, extinction of the capital punishment seems too ambitious at present, whereas the EU is going to ban life sentence. Middle East is an important region for the EU in the view of geopolitics. It is rational not stimulate those countries recklessly.

On the other hand, torture to prisoners seems no more acceptable. It is based on the human rights, thus, all human should be respected regardless of their thoughts or behaviors. Recently, it was revealed that CIA had been conducting torture to foreign spies. The real world remains unequal and pitiless.